— ——_ ——— |____ ————— —S— ;$————— ee ———_—— = fa ——— ————— See EE — a ——— oo (eer —— — —— —— oo — =— —_—_—_—— —_——o —S —SS== =—— — ———— el — —————S Ss a Mm mu = 0 oO Ln) oO mn C oo oO WM i : THE ORIENTAL ART CHARMING HORSES OLTS CONTAINING FULL INSTRUCTIONS IN RAISING, BREAKING, TRAINING, RIDING, DRIVING, STABLING, FEEDING, AND DOCTORING HORSES, By CHARLES J. ELDRIDGE. CINCINNATI: PRINTED AND SOLD FOR THE PUBLISHER, AT THE PRINTING OFFICE S. E. COR. S¥C. & THIRD, 1857. ; { ¥ - i re sk Be 3 ; “hy 4, J i = i GE rew3r- Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, b ISAAC A. PITTMAN, In the Clerk’s Office f v the Southern District of Ohio. Le —~ ae a 9 y * f oar 7 £73 7 f ae ded i J AS BEl ’ re aa *; TS Sar aha ’ f ‘Lhe iat i ~~ ag} - Vi DR CASE aA: . Pp | t¥ FULL Lidia fy : } =} ~ aie ta oo ere B\y ITA KH 7 ig ee i YeIeedy “LR a rs & Like 2S } Ne WF & Li 4 ': - é ~ 4 C 2° .3e JD oe. RLS} i Lit 454 C4 “ 7» or ot GOGi INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Tur horse is the most noble and the most useful of the do- mestic animals. It is only in a few localities, and under a few circumstances, that any other beast of burden can compare with him for usefulness ; while for gracefulness and speed of motion, and for beauty and symetry of form, the Ox, the Camel, the Ass, the Mule, the Elephant, are all completely and forever eclipsed. I need offer no other apology, then, for presenting to the public this little volume—the result of over thirty years ex- perience in the raising and training of this animal, and the study of the best authors on the same subject. Let none say I have misled them by my title. I shall give you all, there is of the Oriental, or Arabian Art of Charming Horses.” If what they call magic is only the practice of scientific principles, that is no fault of mine. It is the fault or the blindness of the Orientals themselves, in attributing to magic or supernatural agency that which can be and is performed by natural means; and it is our fault if we believe such antiquated superstitions. Nor is it any deception to designate the method of train- ing vicious horses and colts, as set forth in this pamphlet, by the term charming. Charming may be practiced by natural as well as supernatural means; and there is no doubt but the Arabians and other Orientalists did all their charming on precisely the principle herein set forth; though they pretended it was done by supernatural means, and though they might have been innocent in the belief that their success in taming the wild and vicious horse com- mitted to their charge depended on the particular terms of jargon which they whispered in his ear. Nor do those who traverse the country giving lessons in the Oriental or Arabian Art of taming wild and vicious LV INTRODUCTORY REMARKS, horses, practice any unwarrantable deception. They do all they promise, and more. They not only teach the en- tire Oriental metiod of taming the horse, but they rob it of its antiquated mysticisms, absurdities and difficulties ; they show that what has heretofore been considered diffi- cult and complicated, can be explained on natural prin- ciples, and is easy to the comprehension and practice of every owner of a horse. The truth is, the Horse has been a misunderstood and much.abused animal. Indeed he has not been treated as au animal, but rather as a@ stump which could be hewn down with an ax and mo‘ded by the chissel into any desirable shape; or as a block of marble, quarried out by a charge of powder, tumbled along through the streets to the work- shop of the artist, to be by him hammered, chisseled, cut and carved into an equestrian statue. If we sueceeed, as we think we shall, in establishing the claims of the Horse to an anima! nature, and,in showing how that nature may be. most successfully subdued and rendered subservient to the uses of man, we shall cluim, whether we receive it or net, infinitely more credit than the Charmess of the Urient re- ceived, who shrouded the science in the veil of darkness and mysticism, while they left they astonished beholder of. their peiformances, untaught and unenlightened in the. modus operands of their pretended divinations. Aurucn. Pea Le THE ORIENTAL ART. THE TRUE PHILOSOPHY. We have ofien read of the wonderful power which the Arabs and other Orientals have over the horse; of their taking them wild from the mative forests, and by supernatural, or magic influence, training them not only to the common purposes of usefulness, but teaching them the greatest pos- . sible variety of feats, tricks, and worderfal performances ; of their whispering to the horse as if he possessed the spirit of some departed worthy, and they were in cenfidence consulting and cemmunicating with bim. We have read, too, of the ‘ black art,’ and the astound- ing miracles said to be performed by its means. We have seen persons, even in this enlightened age, who professed to believe in it; nay, more, we once met a livery stable Joafer who undertook to palm himself off on usas a tior- ough practitioner of this Art, (2) and offered fis services at a round price, in the business of charming, conquering and subduing the wildest and mest ungovernable horses that might be brought to him for that purpose. Those who will believe sach wild and superstitious notions, need themselves to be tamed, and instructed into the first prin- ciples of modern science, and they deserve no pity if they are occasionally most essentially humbugged. But that the Arabians and many Europeans and Ameri- cans have been wonderfully successful in breaking colts, taming vicious and ungovernable horses, and teaching them a great variety of tricks and performances, is an undisput~ ed truth; and that the manner of doing this is well worthy of being called an Art, is equally true. Cn ; THE ORIENTAL Who that has witnessed the astonishing performances of this noble animal in the Circus, but has at times almost attributed it to the possession of the human intellect; and all will admit that the instinct and tractability of the horse, are of the highest order of ‘the brste creation. Yet such power over the horse—and we had almost said any horse, but there is as much difference in horses as in men—can be possessed by any one who will practice a few plain and simple rules. What, then, is the Arabian or Black Art of charming Horses? We apprehend it may all be summed up in three short words—patience, perseverance, kindness. The Arabian has all these, and in addition, what too many in this couatry of luxury and extravagance, do not have—an abundance of time. The Arabian, and. those who have pretended to practice the Black Art, are.in the. habit of spending much time in the company. of the Horse. They ride the horse; brush, curry and comb the horse ; caress end fondle the. horse; talk, whistle, sing to the horse; and, what too many are never known to do, leve the horse. . By these various and continued means they obtain a wonderful power over any one of the race that may be placed under their charge. It matters but little to the horse whether his master whistles Yankee Doodle, or the‘ tune that the old cow died on;’ or whether he talks. plain English, French, German, or the hog-Latin gibberish: of ghosts and hob-goblins, Gip- sies, Charmers or Soothsayers.. The great point is to whis- ile something, and to say something in the most agreeable and friendly manner. Itis the manner ef the master, and not. the matter, that. interests and pleases the horse. Tha horse does not understand the English Language as laid down by Murray and Webster, but he understands’ the dif. ference between a friendly and an unfriendly tone of voice as readily as achild. We assert then and without fear of contradiction, that the whole secret of training horres, whether practiced by Arabians, Gipsies, Black Art perfarmers, livery stable loun- gers or the worthy.and honorable horseman, lies in perse- verance, kind and patient instruction, according | tothe principles which we shall further i}lustrate in this volume, as we progress with our subject. HORSE CHARMER. 7 EARLY TRAINING. As horses are mainly valuable. for. their utility to man, it is apparent that the full development of the physical system of the animal is not all that needsto be secured, though that is, necessarily the primary department, upon which all else is to be based.. The best developed animal might be so vicious as to be entirely valueless; though it is a rule, that development of form and of disposition cor- respond to.each other. Yet, the horse being one of the most intelligent of the animal creation, and easily trained into objectionable as well as desirable habits, it behooves every.one having the care of young horses and colts, to guard carefully the influences brought to bear-upon their disposition. .The usual custom throughout the West has been to let them run wild almost, until three or four years old, and then put, them throngh—not a regular system of ‘breaking,’—but such exercises as the, disposition of the master might dictate at the moment, and which often ex- hibited far more of the spleen and irritability, impatience, and violence of temper. of the man, than of care for the horse. Almost the first experience of life the colt gets, after he has learned the use of his. legs, is a pelting with small stones, clods, sticks, or switches, from. mischievous boys, who delight in his infantile antics to avoid his persecators ; and thus, from the first, he learns to look upon, man, as an enemy to be dreaded and. avoided, while evil disposings to kick, strike, &c., and ill nature generally, are forced.upon him. Age and, strength, accumulate, and) with; them, ill treatment, (for the amusement of its masters it may be, or by virtue of theirthoughtless disregard of causes and effects, ) uutil, when, large and.old enough to become serviceable, the difacult and dangerous. process of ‘breaking’ becomes necessary....And it too often.happens, that when this is well done, as all admit it should be, the horse is really broken, and has lost all that spirit. and nobleness so much admired in this truly noble animal. .. The whole idea of ‘ breaking” unplies, in fact, a necessary evil, is part.of the same. phi- losophy, which .cnce made. our school-houses depositories of birch, and theaters of tragic cruelty ; a philosophy which, thanks to enlightened progress, is rapidly passing away. 6 THE ORJENTAL The colt should be accustomed to kindness, and gentle, yet firm handling, from the first, and in this manner learn perfect obedience to his master’s will. The halter may, indeed should be, placed upon him when quite young, and he should learn to be guided by it in any direction, and with ease; and as he grows up, one lesson after anothet may be added, as the owner’s wishes or fancy may dictate, until, when the time comes that his services are demanded, he is ready trained for the service, educated in the way he should go, and will walk therein. The whole process should be one of careful avoidance of influences tending to create baa habits, teaching the anima! what it will be re- quired to know, before that requisition comes, and by edu- cation supersede the necessity for the unphilosophical, and often brutal ‘ breaking.’ The advantages of careful training during growth, ate many and important. It affords the best possible means of developing the animal in every respect # keeps him un- der the constant care of the owner, and induces him toe think and reason upon what he does,—creates a sympathy, so to term it, between them, which elevates the character of both. It prevents the vicious habits usually engendered from carelessness of the owner, and which can not always be eradicated, and avoids the cruelty and abuse of ‘ breaks ing.’ The horse may be made tractable, reliable, and safe, without having his energy and spirit crushed out of him ; and he may be noble, active and proud in his movements, without being restive, irritable, and treacherous, and as a consequence, will be more easily kept in fine condition and good health. It is only a continuation of the principles of breeding, extended to the full development of the animal, here advocated; and, while all cannot be equally success- ful in this, as in any other of the pursuits of life, all will be more successful, and richly rewarded for their efforts to attain it. The principle reasons for the general untrained character of horses, seems to be the lack of any systematic effort at training, and the uncontrolled passions of those who have the handling and care of horses. It is no un- common thing to see angry bipeds venting their passion upon unoffending animals, as the most convenient recipient of theirire. And such scenes are not confined to the street, HORSE CHARMER. 9 the highway, or the farm ; but are found in all. The effects are mischievous, and ruinous to the best interests of the owner, because injuring and depreciating in value his props erty in the market. Horse education, really, is a market- able commodity, and may be, indeed always is, estimated in dollars and cents. TAMING A VICIOUS HORSE. In nine cases out of ten, those who undertake to tame a vicious horse do the very things they ought not to do, while the things they ought to do they do not. While in the city of Boston, in the year 1836, I was, in company with several others, shown a beautiful, spotted horse, about eight years old, and well worth, if faultless, one hundred and fifty doilars, which it was said by the honest salesman no man could ride, or drive in a chaise, (a two-wheel’ vehicle much used formerly at the Hast.) Mr. A. said he would try him, and gave sixty dollars for the noble animal, which could not have been purchased for twice that sum, had he borne a reputation for good behavior. He Jed the horse home, about eight miles from the city, by the side of another, put him in the stable, fed him, and retired for the night. The next morning he went to the stable ‘to break the d d horse, or his own neck,’ to use his own expression As he approached the horse, he remarked in a somewhat triumphant and defiant tone, ‘ So, ho, you are the fellow that allows no one to straddle your back, are you? We/’ll see whether you can shake me off as easy as you have some others; if you do, you will be the first horse that ever shook me from his back.’ It really seemed as if the horse knew the substance of the remarks made in his hearing, by the motion of his head, the manner in which he stepped from one side of the stall to the other, and various other indications of un- easiness and suspicion. At any rate, whether he compre- hended the language of his new master. or not, he evi- dently did not like the tone of his voice. nor the swagger- ing of his person. A horse learns the different inflections of the human voice sooner than many a school boy, 10 i _ HE ORIENTAL Our hero now led the horse from the stable, put'a saddle upon his back, buckled it) with uncommon’ tightness, and after trying the stirrups to see that all was’ sound and right, with a single bound was in his saddle. . Now hs enbaiade a scene of rearing, and springing, vial pitching unlike anything I ever before witnessed: In re- taliation, the rider commenced-using the cow hide freely over the rump, about the sides and legs of the animal, and at length over his head, eyes, ears and mouths It was evidently a battle between two equally determined, but unequally powerful opponents—a trial of animal strength —an exhibition of dexterity—on the part of the animal, to throw off the disagreeable load ; on the part of the dis- agreeable load—the man—to conquer, to subdue, to main- tain his position. But the horse, being the stouter of the two, was the victor, and would have thrown his load a rod at least from his back, but for the rider’s foot having caught in the stirrup; /and in that plight, the horse would soon have kicked lis brains out, if he had any, but for the -in- terference and assistance of the by-standers, who soon liberated the prisoner from his critical situation. But wasthe horse broken? No. But the owner was— from any future attempts to ride a vicious horse. One of the. spectators of this scene asked the owner of (he animal what he would take for him. °Beimg taken n just the mood for selling cheap, he replied, ‘any thing you please.’ A bargain was soon struck up, and the horse cha: iged hands for $50. The crowd: was making tracks:to fellow the horse to the stable of the new’ owner, but the latter observed that he should make no attempt toride him at present; and when he did, he should’ by no means allow any one to. be present on the occasion. Three weeks after this, I, with many others in the vil- lage which was now the new home of this ‘ vicious horse,’ had the pleasure of seeing this gentleman (for though he was what is termed’a horse jockey, he was .a gent/e-man in his treatment of horses) pass through the place grace- fully riding the back of this noble, but heretofore proscribed animal, with apparently as much pleasure to the horse as ta the rider. There was no springing, rearing or whipping; but the horse and: the rider moved up and down the main HORSE CHARMER. 1 thoroughfare of the village, in the presence of hundreds of excited spectators, as if they were.a part of each other. How was this miraculous change brought about ? [ will give you the horse tamer’s own account of the matter, as nearly as my. memory. will serve at. this distant period of time ; which, however, is uncommonly. distinct, for. the circumstance made an indelible. impression on my mind, as it constituted my first valuable lesson in the ‘ Oriental Art of Charming Horses.’ ‘I took my horse home,” said he, “;and spent several days in forming an acquaintance with him. | might have succeeded in riding him sooner, but then, | am very formal about such matters—lI want to be regularly introduce: .9 8 horse—a‘ co quettish, shy, non-committal, bashful, .cryous, excitable, ,egotistical, joking frolicksome, quick-iciipered, vicious. or lazy horse (for horses have as great a variety of characteristics as men, or women either)—as reguinariy in- troduced as to one whom I might choose for a partner in business or a partner:at the altar. I want the., .o become intimately acquainted—go through’ a reguial courtsup— that we may love,each other; for I will never 02 4.50788 that. 1 can not love. But, as I was saying, I took my horse,t.ome, put oi in a clean nice stable, fed him with the best! liad. bousned him combed him, conversed with him, cavrossed yay- self—I never have.a servant to do my courting fo: me. We soon became the.best of friends. .]. can 2! ways tell when I am getting the right side of a horse. » Ai first he was shy—treated me with much coolness—tnen became too familiar by half. I put on my best countenance, and talked to himin My Most wooing tones, Psueeeccca in mak. ing him know me,love me, and fear me. | say ‘car ue, for | whipped him--I whip harses as Ido chiliren--never in anger, always frem a'sense of duty; and | take :maies diate steps io let the animal know why | whip him, ind how painful it is forme to do so. _ At length L-led him into: the center of the stable, placed a saddle gently across his back, and then wentoto. his head and caressed him. Iwas a long:time adjusting the saddle to suit me, for my time was principally occupied in win- ning the affection of the horse. Atlength, all things ready, 12 THE ORIENTAL { crawled shyly upon his back, setting down so easily, that he could scarcely distinguish the time when I was fair- ly fixed; my head mean time, and for some time afterward close to his. 1 madeno motion for him to go, but slipped off, and went for a pair of mittens, though it was July; put on the mittens and again mounted his back cautiously— no, not cautiously, for it will never do to be cautiows—but in a friendly, familiar manner, as much as to say, I havea right to'a place on your back, but, then, it is with your leave, sir. After turning him around once by the bridle, I was again off to get my hat, then my whip, etc., etc., and finally tock off his saddle and put him back into his stall. This I did several times, perhaps more times than was ne- cessary, but I wasin no hurry. l next took him into the yard, and jumping upon another horse,’rode several times around him, then Jeft that and mounted him, and rode several times around ‘the first horse. This was a great feat—it was ‘ glory enough for one day ;’ I therefore put the horse up and left him for a day. The next day I tried both horses again, but rode a longer time than the first day. Again, I ventured still farther, riding around my house, then down the road to the brook and back, until &nally, I can take a journey on the best saddle horse { ever owned, which cost me but fify dollars. Now who will say that horses have not sense? Who will say that they must not be treated, at least as we would treat a dog, or a cat, or a bird, that we would wish to tame and instruct ? : TEACHING A HORSE VARIOUS TRICKS. Acmost any Horse can be taught to. perform tricks, but some horses are more tractable chan others. You must select a good shaped, bright eyed, nimble, playful horse, not too large, nor too stoutly built. Some Horses are made only to work, and others only to be lazy. Neither of these should be selected as a trick horse. If you are any judge of horses, your own judgment, better than a page of direc- tions, will enable you to pick out your horse. He should also be healthy—itis waste time to teach a cripple that which he can not perform well, if at all. HORSE CHARMER, 13S Now, presuming you have the right kind of a horse, ob- serve strictly the following rules al] through. ; Ist. Never treat your hosse with any thing but kindness. You may have a whip, and crack and snap it; oceasional- ly use it to good purpose around your horses legs. He will soon learn whether you do it because you are his master, have a right to use it, and do not use it with cruelty ; of whether you are unreasonable, bad-tempered, and impa¢ tient. 2d. Never allow any one to feed, curry or take any othe# care of your horse; or if you must occasionally commis$ him to other hands, they should be charged not to noucd him, or play with him, but be as indifferent as possible in their treatment of him. Your horse should learn that no one loves him or cares for him but yourself. You should endeavor by every possible method to impsess him with the idea that he is your horse, your pet, your friend, and mus§$ do all these things which you are teaching him just for your gratification alone. 3d. Never allow any other horse, animal, child or man to be present while you are giving instruction. After he has become familiar with his lessons and performs them ‘well; after you are satisfied and fe is satisfied, that the thing is well done, then you may venture to introduce one spectator, then two, a dozen, or thousand. But undeitake no new trick in presence of spectators. 4th. Never undertake more than one thing at a time. However simple that thing may be, let your horse become familiar ana dexierous in that before confusing him with anything else. - Sth. When your horse has performed well, always c- ress, fondle and feed him. Put your head up to his, and your ovm around his neck, and tell him he is a fine boy, aud shall have the best cats that can be had in market. i{e don’t know the meaning of your words, but you can- not say al] this to a horse, without doing it in just the man- ner which indicates to him your affection, interest and ap- proval. This is just the very thing wanted. This is precisely the Oriental Art of Charming Horses. It is.to win his favor, excite his pride and ambition, enlist bis ai- fections. A horse, and, indeed, for that matter, nearly ald. 14 THE ORIENTAL animals—have all the affections and instincts of man, and they only want to be appealed to, and enlisted in your be- half, when they will be ten times more obedient to your wishes, and subservient’ to your demands, than the most abject office seeker is to the President, the Governor or the ‘ Dear People.’ » Now if you have pricked out your horse and will observe the aboverules, you may begin by taking a handkerchiefand placing in a certain part of the stable. Then pointing to the handkerchief, say, ‘ Bring me that handkerchief, sir,’ leading the horse to ‘it (first presuming however that he has seen and smelt of it twenty times before), bearing his head toward it, and at the same time lifting it. up to his mouth. Put it into his mouth—if he is disposed to drop it, hold it to his mouth, and lead him to the other side of the stable and put it down. Now take the handkerchief and carry it back to where you put it first, then come back to the horse and say, as before, (in fact, always use the same expression and in the same tone of voice) bring me that handkerchief, sir; if ke does not start for it, lead him as before, and pass through the whole ceremony precisely as the first time. The third.or fourth time, you can venture to snap your whip and manifest sone signs of digpleasure, but finish with a friendly gesture and word, and again lead him to the object, and go through the whole round of cere- mony. He will at length goso far as to go and take the handkerchief-in’ his mouth, and then from pure mischief, perhaps, shake it about, or carry it anywhere else but whi re you want him to. -Then snap your whip, and agair make him carry it to the place where you were standing or sit- ting. Follow this up and you will soon learn your horse to bring your handkerchief to you without your moving from your position; then your hat, gloves, or any other object. If it isa pail, and he takes hold of it by its side instead of the handle, go to him, take it from his mouth, and put the handle in his mouth, saying, ‘that ie not right, sir, this is the way!’ Some such expression as'this should be always used, and always in precisely the same way, when he does not perform eorrectly, and he will soon learn what is meant by it, if applied to any other transaction improperly per- formed. aE BO bs . . y HORSE CHARMBR. 15 You ean now go on and teach your horse any thing you please. You can teach him to go and bring your eows or sheep for you; and though he will not learn it as readily, nor be as serviceable for that purpose as a well trained dog, yet the novelty of the transaction well repays for the ex- tra trouble thatis taken. : - It is by such means that a circus horse is taught to lie down or situp ; hold up one foot or the other atecommand ; shake his head, asif to say no, and nod his’ head as if to say yes, to any question; to turn half way or all the way around, and remain in that position until he hears'a certain word. “To. pick ont the letters of the alphabet, and spell, not any word, but such words as he has been taught to spell. There is, in fact nothing which you may not learn a horse to do, if you will. But you must observe strictly the above rules. Any one else tampering with your horse, and directing him ina little different way, causes him to mistake, and he is as sensitive of the mistake as a man would be, and will not like to try it again. BREAKING COLTS, TuERE is a great difference in Colts, and consequently some will of necessity be harder to break than. others. But the methods are the same in nature with all colts: Some will require much more time and patience than others; but whatever the amount of time, it is of no use for you to fret, worry, swear andrave at them. For every minute spent in raving at them you will have to spend ten in gentle- ness, kindness and patience afterward. — It. is seldom that a colt must be tamed on the very day you at first select and when you or they are likely to get out of patience, is is better to postpone operations till another time. The first thing is to approach him, inthe stable, or a small enclosure, in a familiar, friendly manner, with nothing in your hand, and no person or animal in sight.. , As you ap- proach extend one hand toward him and commence talking to him in a low tone of voice. No matter what. you say, but say something—keep, your tongue poing, . There is nothing so potent with the horse asthe < gift of gab :’ hence | it is no doubt, that many of the most.celebrated horse tam-. 16 THE ORIENTAL ers, have not been equally celebrated for enliyhtened con- versational powers. As you dwaw near the horse, or colt, if he turns from you, stop until he stops and has taken another look at you, He will then allow, you to approach still nearer. If he again starts, stop yourself again. Itis of no use to follow him while he is in motion. He can move faster than you can, and will only widen the distance between you. When he finds you have not hurt him by being within two rods of him, he may let you come within arod and a half. If you can not get up to his head and take hold of it within fifteen cr twenty minutes, better postpone the attempt for an hour or two, or longer at convenience. When you have succeeded in reaching his head, pat him onthe neck, put your head close to his, and talk to him, and he will soon be pleased with the familiarity. If you are not in too great haste, it is better to do this with him frequently, before approaching him with any thing in your hand. So much being accomplished, you can now approach him with a halter, whip or any thing else; but if he turns from you, do not follow him up. Leave him and again go with nothing in your hand. Be exceedingly careful you do not lose favor with him; if you do, you must begin all over again. Once his friend, never let him suppose you are or can be his enemy. After you have fondled with him several times with a whip, halter, harness or any thing else you please, take a leather halter (in no case use a rope halter) and put it to his nose, then rub it on his neck, around his head, mouth and nose, being careful always not to approach too near hig eyes: Do this frequently before putting it over his head. When you get ready, put it over his head so easily and with so much unconcern that he will not kuow you have any designs in doing it. Do not attempt now to fasten it, unless he is very tame, andsubmissive. Take another op- portunity. After your colt has become used to the feeling of the hal- ter, you can then lead him about; butifhe falls back, go” up to him and patthim on the neck. Don’t let him have a chance to ty his strength; if you do, he will tind out > HORSE CHARMER. 17 ; that he is stronger than you are. This neither a colt nor a horse ever ought to know. When you have succeeded thus far with him, and you and he have had no‘ falling out,’ you can go on step by step, making him familiar, by degrees with every kind of service to which he is liable to be called. ) Every colt should be made familiar with drums, fifes, horns, Rail Road ears ; and with various colors and objects. But never approach them or look at them while making any uncommon noise for the purpose of breaking them. Whatever you do in this line, should be done, at first, ata distance, until, the colt cares nothing about it; then ap- proach a step nearer, Avoid all sudden frights.., L once knew a young horse to be so badly frightened at the noise and sudden motion of a company of children coming out of a school soon, that he would shy off the track for months if two or three children passed him on the road. | have known horses to be equally frightened at a Rail Car., Itis better to pasture them, if possible, near but not too neara Rail Road track, and then in a lot adjoining a track. If you can not do this, the first opportunity you can have, take them near, but again not too near, a Rail Road track. Next time a little nearer, always letting them see the cars as they pass. Colts that are properly trained to familiari- ty with all such things as they are likely to see and hear, will never afterward be frightened while in the harness. Of course most of the above applies only to colts that are very skittish, KICKINGes Tas is generally brought on by boys tampering with, the legs of the horse, or by poultry running around his legs and annoying him, or by the reins, etc., getting under his tail or around his legs while on the road, Prevention here, as in all other bad habits, is worth more than cure. It isa very difficult matter to break a horse of the habit of kicking at every little annoyance, when once. the babit is confirmed. ie) Kicking against the sides of the stall can generally be prevented by attaching thorns to the sides of the stall, or 18 THE ORIENTAL anything that will prickle without injuring the feet. Kick- ing in the harness is best conquered by stout straps, so adjusted as to prevent his raising his hind feet. The strap must be very strong and a little springy, and then, it must be resorted to more for the purpose of preventing the horse from breaking the carriage, than with any expectation of reforming him. The best plan is to begin early with your colt; or, if your colt is already a horse, then begin at once a thorough system of training, to get him used to various annoyances by degrees, and with kind treatment, as in the manner herein recommended for putting on the bridle. Any horse can be taught to disregard the reins getting under his tail, or the foot-board coming up against him, just as easily as he'can be’ reconciled to the saddle, or the bits. All such things are an annoyance to the horse or colt, when first submitted to. The drum and fife and other musical in- struments are an annoyance ; so also the Railroad car and the steam whistle. We ¢rain our horses to such things— then why not train them to every thing with which they are likely to be annoyed. Any man who does not love a horse well enough, or who does not take enough pride in him to guard him in the first four years of his life against the dangers of the future, should never own a horse. He should at once adopt some branch of business that will enable him to get along without a horse, and forever after= ward resort to the Railroad car and the Steamboat. HOW TO CATCH COLTS IN THE PASTURES OR PRAIRIES. Ir they are very wild or shy, two or even three should be employed to go on all sides and gradually approach them. Do no look directly at them, nor approch in a direct line, nor raise the hands-as if to head them off. You must not let them mistrust that you want to catch them. Let one who is on a horse approach slowly, and if your horse will nibble the grass, let him do so a minute, and then take a step nearer ; by such means you can soon go in among them, and after your horse has smelt of them and they of him, then turn toward your home, and in most cases they will follow into the barn yard. If they will not do it at | ~ HORSE CHARMER. 19 first, persevence will always succeed. It is sometime well, but not a] ways necessary, to feed them. - Avoid all haste, noise, flurry, excitement. If you get out of patience, do not let your colts know it; if you do, you will have lost all your labor thus far. If you can not control yourself in this matter, it is doubtful whether you can control the colts after you catch them. I firmly be- lieve that the wildest prairie colt may be caught without the lasso or the trap, if one has sufficient patience, and ex- ercises a little dexterity and prudence. SLIPPING THE HALTER. Some Horses are very dexterous at this, and almost always succeed in getting loose in the stable, keeping other horses awake, and endangering their own limbs to the kicks of others, besides other evils. The web of the halter should be made so as to slip only one way; or a strap may be buckled around the neck, and attached to the halter just tight enough not to injure or an- noy him, but to prevent his slipping it off. RESTLESSNESS WHILE BEING SHOED. Ir a young horse is unwilling to be shoed, he should be al: lowed to see several others go through the operation, be- fore taking his turn. This, with other means of gentleness will generally succeed. But if not, then it will be nec- essary to put your horse threugh a regular course of train- ing—to do in fact what should have been done before he was ever sent to be shoed at all. Take his foot up frequently and held it as the smith does, until he cares nothing about it, thea hammer it and do whatever else will be an imitation of the process of shoe- ing. By such means your horse will be prepared for an Operation which would otherwise be strange to him. A horse does not refuse to be shoed from mere bad temper ; it is because he does not know what you want to do with his foot, or be has been roughly handled, badly trained, or previously maimed by some careless smith. * 90 THE ORIENTAL TO PREVEN? ROLLING IN THE STALL.4 Turs is a very dangerous habit, and can be prevented only by tying the horse so that he can lie down, but not touch his head to the floor. ‘This is very tiresome to the horse, and hence, if you cure enough for his comfort and health, build a narrow platform, eighteen to twenty-four inches in width, slanting at an angle of thirty to forty degrees, so that it will form a pillow for his head amd neck ; then adjust a rope so that as he lies down his head will natu- rally rest on the platform, or pillow, He will not roll, unless he can get his head as low as the floor of the stable. HOW TO BREAK HORSES FROM BALKING. In the first place never teach your horse to balk, by giving him a greater load than he can carry, or requiring him to go up too steep a hill without permitting him to stop. If you tell him to stop, in going up a steep hill, it is better than to allow him to do it of his own accord, If he finds he can stop of his own will, and start when he pleases, he will soon learn to do it when he ought not to, If at any time he stops without your stopping him, give him a sharp cut, and make him go on, evenif you think he ought to stop at that very place; but soon yourself give him an opportunity to stop. This will teach him that he isto stop only at your will, and that you are not unreasonable in your demands. 1 believe that all balky horses are in the first instance taught to balk by their careless and inconsid= erate owners, who overload them, and allow then to stop or go according to their own will. Once a horse finds he can stop at will without reproof, he will stop, perhaps on a smooth road, or inthe middle of a village, or on the street of a city, Where you will be mortified as well as discommoded. But what shall we do with a horse who has thoroughly learned to balk, and whom whipping only hardens? Des- perate remedies should sometimes be used for desperate cases, and you may in such cases either kill your horse as not being worthy the oats you give him, or you may fasten him to a strong carriage, put on a strong harness and reins, HORSE CHARMER. 21 and seating yourself firmly in the vehicle drive on; if he balks, set fire to a bunch of shavings or a newspaper at his heels, or a bunch of fire crackers; he is bound to go in _ such case—perhaps too fast for you—but of this you must \ run your risk. It is a desperate remedy, but when kind- ness and good treatment do not succeed, such a remedy ' will suceeed better, and is more humane, than beating, unmerciful whipping, etc., which seldom succeed at all. CRIB BITING, Tuts isa bad habit and very annoying to the owner of a horse. Various remedies have been tried such as iron- ing the manger, petitions etc. | know of no certain cure but an iron muzzle, with bars just wide enough apart to al- low the herse to pick up his grain and draw out his hay with his tonge, but not to get hold of any thing with his teeth. Ifthis habit is not broken it will soon be imitated by every horse in the stable. TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN AT NIGHT. Horses that never lie down when they sleep will not do as well as those who are in the habit of it. They perhaps are afraid of being caught by the halter, or they have al- ready been cast in the night, and do not like to try it again. Such horses should be let loose in a stable at night, or in a large stall, without being tied, and furnished with a tempt- ing bed, until the habit of lying down is acquired, and the fear of it removed. UNWILLINGNESS TO BE MOUNTED. In some this is mere playfulness, while in others it is a de- cided unwillingness to be driven. Give such horses as the former more hay and less oats, and never let them start immediately on your mounting them or getting into the car- riage. Asystematic and persevering course of such treat- ment will in the end usually teach the horse that you are not ready for him to go the instant you touch your foot:to the stirrup, but you have your gloves or mittens to put on, or your reins to adjust, and it is useless for him to be in a hurry | - But if it is because he does mot want to go, then it may 22 THE ORIENTAL be he wants more oats and less hay; or he has been per- haps badly used when out on former occasions. In either ease, however; whipping does no good; indeed | am satis» fied that for all viciousness in horses, whipping does no good, but only aggravates the evil. An occasional sharp erack with the whip, tollowed by tones. of friendship fami- liar to the horse, will generally do good ; but if your horse has never heard you use such tones, then you had better sell him at once, and get a horse without bad habits—some drone which has not life enough in him to be restless, and not strength enough to kick. RUNNING AWAY. Tue best way to cure this, if it is a settled habit, is to get your horse on a good road, and if he starts, let him go, and the moment he slacks give hima sharp cut with the whip, until he has had as much running as he wants. RESTIVENESS. | Tuts is one of the worst manifestions in thé horse. It is_ the result of bad management in the early training of the — horse, and when once asettled habit, it becomes dangerous to any but the best rider or driver to attempt his manage- ment. Whipping, hallooing, jerking and yanking with the bridle only make the matter worse. If you cannot soothe such a horse by kind treatment, you had better give him up as a hopeless case. BITING. Tus is generally the result of allowing boys to ‘ fool ? with a horse, by pointing sticks at him; though some times the cause is in the natural disposition of the horse. Here again whipping is of no use. Stewart says he has seen horses whipped till nearly dead, but to no effect. If you can obtain something exceedingly disagreeable to the taste of a horse, as some very bitter herb, saturate a piece of cloth and wind it around a stick for him to bite at, it will often, in connection with kind treatment, have a tendency to break him. The horse goes out to his usual work, and, for a cer-- tain time and distance, performs it as well as he has been | accustomed to do; then he stops all at once—trembles, | heaves, paws, staggers and falls. When the disease can be clearly connected with a pre-" vious bite, the sooner the animal is destroyed the better, for there is no cure.’ If the symptoms’ bear considerable’ resemblancé to rabies, although no bite is suspected, the’ horse should at-least’ be slung, and the medicine, if-any ’ | HORSE’ CHARMER, >) ©" 47 i administered, given in the form ofa drink, and: with ‘the'hand well-protected; for if it should be scratched in balling the horse, or the skin’should have been previous- ly broken, the ‘saliva of the animal is’ ‘capable of com- municating the disease. ~——— | Tf a horse is bitten by a dog under suspicious cireum- ‘stances; he should be carefully examined, and ‘every wound, ‘and even the slightest scratch, well: burned ‘with the lunar caustic (nitrate of silver). ‘The scab should be ‘removed and the operation repeated on the third. day. ‘The hot iron does not‘answer so well, and other caustics ‘are not so manageable. The caustic must reach ‘every part’of the wound: © © tie | is “FITS OR EPILEPSY. > . Tue only hope‘of cure consists in‘ discovering the cause of the fits; and an experienced practioner must be con-' sulted, if the animal is valuable. Generally speaking, however, the cause is so difficult to discover, and the ha- bit of having fits is so. soon formed, and these fits will so frequently return, even at a great distance of time, that ‘he who values’ his ‘own safety, or the lives of his family,’ will cease to use an epileptic horse. .~ i | M2BTO8 “GALLS ON HORSES, &0. 5° 6) b One of the best means to~prevent galls on horses, is to wash the parts most liable to injury with whisky, saturat- ed with alum, © The following is an excellent receipt for an ointment for wounds and sores’ ofall kinds, and for: horses, when galled by the saddle or collar, and also for broken chiblains: Take of honey 12 ounces, yellow bees- wax four ounces, compound galbanum plaster six ounces, sweet oil half a pint: Put the honey intoa jar by the fire, then melt the other ingredients and mix them together, to be spread very thin on linen, and'changed twice a day. J8Og0 UES 01S" FAVES. | LG Bi © ) orld “To THis disease is so well known that nothing need be said _of its symptoms, causes or effects. Twenty remedies at least are known to the Veterinary Physician, and proba- bly every farmer knows of five. About the best 1 know SST Se ‘ee 5 Ave eT a Os 48 $$“ THE ORIENTAL HORSE CHARMER. of is a’ mixture.of equal parts of Balsam Copavia and Bal- sam of Fir, with enough of magnesia to enable you to make, into: balls, about the size of a-crab apple and, Ee one every night.and morning, antal a a cure is) i etinettsted £0 cuRE. WORMS.» : le arte ieckiatod byva dull, Seman appearance of the eyes; by the ruff appearance of the hair and want of gloss, and by the horse losing flesh without any, other apparent cause.| He also shows. less inclination to! eat, and if, too long neglected, worms will often pass through the bowels’ and be dischargediin ithe dung) A pint of neats foot oil followed in about: 24 hours. with half pint of castor oil is the best. remedy known. Two drachms of Lartar Emetic; mixed with a little ground, eae or. come ab of ios peg an, oxeollent seascape ir | COLIC; | Tun appearance of. this. disease. may. bei known from, the coldness of the horses ears; and legs, and. by his general uneasiness, getting up and laying own often, looking: around at his flanks, ete., etc. Take the proportions of 1-02. black pence to half pint of peed wae pe ana rub-on the, ally ‘of the ene” i “ORAGKED HEELS: }) 0) TaKr two .drachms of a dicatiine, in a » pil of water and hath: the pte affected. r FLATULENT COLIO. Tan ansunéis spirit of ammonia, one or two, ounces, dion — inva pint of warm water, is ‘a good remedy. “DIARRHEA DYSENTERY yi OR: LOOSENESS. ) OnE to three drachms of opium, according to the power of the disease is an excellentand:safe astringent. ‘ vey oir. da » ta. Bd BY ,AMosud sh 9 7? “3477-125 Lot 50 i eae Y, Bid iy un om yj ia i. en ae ae Pee: i Peete : ey ae, me? Ae a ie a he: ears! a a Py ~ fa <=) mee eh ue yal nt : 4! e = "! ie 4 ita oy 7 . - . j s ’ : : ’ = A ar, a y - “ ¥ s F $ ’ - -e ‘be a a : eS a) ? . t walt» a e,? vue a ~~ ° ¥ r be Ade) ; , a) - ” as F re Jen y *f ¥ i ; } : bah Sar = ' ahs j se 2 oe 3) A LL